The present invention relates to a new improved process for synthesizing morpholinylbenzenes, preferably 4-morpholinylbenzenes. There is a need for a simple and suitable large-scale synthesis possible to achieve high overall yield within an acceptable reaction time.
Tetrahedron letters, 1999, 40 (6), 1219-1222 and Tetrahedron, 1999, 55 (46), 13285-13300 disclose a process for synthesizing 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzonitrile and 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzoic acid ethyl ester by reacting morpholine and 4-fluorobenzonitril or ethyl 4-fluorobenzoate in the solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).
Synthesis, 1990, 1145-1149 discloses a process for synthesizing 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzonitrile and 1-[4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl] ethanone in the solvent acetonitrile under 10 kbar pressure. The reacting starting materials in said process are morpholine and 4-fluorobenzonitril or 1-(4-fluorophenyl) ethanone, respectively.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,877 discloses a method of preparing 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzonitrile in the presence of a palladium catalyst comprising a chelating ligand, in sodium t-butoxide (NaO-t-Bu) and toluene. The starting material in the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,877 is morpholine and 4-cyanophenyltriflate.
EP 805152-B discloses a method of preparing 1-(4-morpholinophenyl) alkylketone by reaction of morpholine and the corresponding 1-(4-bromophenyl) alkylketone in aqueous solution under 5-6 bar pressure.
JP 04089459 discloses a method of preparing 4-(4-nitrophenyl) morpholine and 2-(4-nitrophenyl) morpholine by reaction of morpholine and 4-(4-nitrophenyltriflate) morpholine or 4-(4-nitrophenyl triflate) morpholine, respectively, in acetonitrile.
This invention discloses a nucleophile aromatic amination method different from all those previously disclosed methods in the prior art. The process of the present invention does not need any additional solvent, it uses morpholine as the reactant and as the only one solvent, if a solvent is present.
The object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved process to synthesize 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzene and 2-(4-morpholinyl) benzene of the formula I. 
This invention discloses a simple and improved method to synthesize morpholinylbenzene of the formula I 
by reacting morpholine of formula II with a substituted benzene of formula III, wherein
Y and Y1 are a substituent in 2- or 4-position and
Y is Y1 or COOH,
Y1 is CN, NO2, CF3, COOR1, COR1 and CONR2R3,
where R1 is H, C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, C1-6 alkylC3-6 cycloalkyl, C6-C10 aryl or a heterocyclic ring containing one or two heteroatoms selected from N, O, S, and said heterocyclic ring may optionally be substituted;
where R2, R3 is H, C1-6 alkyl, C3-6 cycloalkyl, C1-6 alkylC3-6 cycloalkyl and C6-C10 aryl or heterocyclic ring containing one or two heteroatoms selected from N, O, S, and said heterocyclic ring may optionally be substituted, or may together with the nitrogen atom form a heterocyclic ring;
with the provisio that Y1 is not COOH;
X is a leaving group;
characterized in that the morpholine is used as a reactant and as the only one solvent, if solvent is present;
and, if necessary, hydrolysis to form a compound wherein Y is COOH.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is an improved process for the synthesizing of morpholinylbenzene of formula I, wherein Y is COOH starting from a morpholinylbenzene of formula I, wherein Y is Y1, where Y1 is COCH3 followed by a haloform reaction or Y1 is CN, CONH2, COOC2H5 followed by basic hydrolysis but an acid hydrolysis is possible as well. Particularly preferred is, when the whole process is performed using one pot without any isolation of the product before the hydrolysis.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is an improved process for the synthesizing of morpholinylbenzene of formula L wherein Y is CN, CONH2, COOC2H5, COCH3, COOH and NO2, by reacting morpholine of formula II with a substituted benzene of formula III, wherein X is F, Cl, Br or CF3SO3, preferably F and Y1 is CN, CONH2, COOC2H5, COCH3 and NO2.
Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is an improved process for the synthesizing of morpholinylbenzene of formula I, wherein Y is NO2, by reacting morpholine of formula II with a substituted benzene of formula III, wherein X is F and Y1 is NO2.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is an improved process for the synthesizing of morpholinylbenzene of formula I, wherein the electron-withdrawing group Y is in the 4-position.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is an improved process for the synthesizing of morpholinylbenzene of formula I, wherein the molar ratio of the reactant morpholine to substituted benzene may be up to 10:1, preferably in the ranges from 6,7:1 to 1:1, more preferably from 3.5:1 to 1:1. No excess of morpholine (molar ratio 1:1) is needed when Y1 is NO2 After the conversion of morpholinylbenzenes is completed the aqueous mixture is made basic by a base, such as NaHCO3, if the molar ratio of morpholine to substituted benzene in the reaction is 1:1. This is to keep the product from being protonated by HX, which is generated during the reaction. The crude product may be used without working-up or isolation as a starting material for the next reaction.
In the present context C1-C6 alkyl may be straight or branched. C1-C6 alkyl may be methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, s-butyl, t-butyl, n-pentyl, i-pentyl, t-pentyl, neo-pentyl, n-hexyl or i-hexyl.
In the present context C3-C6 cycloalkyl may be cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl. C1-6 alkylC3-6 cycloalkyl may be methylcyclopropyl, ethylcyclopropyl, methylcyclobutyl, ethylcyclobutyl, or methylcyclopentyl.
In the present context C6-C10 aryl may be a phenyl or a naphthyl, which groups may optionally be substituted.
In the present context a heterocyclic ring containing one or two heteroatoms selected from O, S, N, is preferably a 5- or 6-membered ring for example imidiazolidinyl, imidiazolinyl, morpholinyl, piperazinyl, piperidinyl, piperonidyl, pyrazolidinyl, pyrazolinyl, pyrrolidinyl, pyrrolinyl, tetrahydropyranyl, thiomorpholinyl, preferably, piperidino, 1-piperazinyl, morpholino, thiomorpholino and 4-piperidon-1-yl.
X is a leaving group, preferably halogen such as F, Cl, Br, I or CF3SO3, particularly preferred is F.
Both pure enantiomers and racemic mixture of the compounds of formula I is within the scope of the present invention.
In the present context a base may be alkali metal carbonates such as a sodium carbonate and a potassium carbonate, or alkali metal hydrogen carbonates such as a sodium hydrogen carbonate and a potassium hydrogen carbonate, or alkali metal hydroxides such as a sodium hydroxide and a potassium hydroxide, or amines such as an alkylamines, e.g. triethylamine, diethylamine, ethanolamine. Other possible bases known to a person skilled in the art may be used, too. Sodium hydrogen carbonate is one of the preferred bases.
A mixture of the two reagents, morpholine and the substituted benzene is gently warmed up. The reaction temperature may vary for example from 20xc2x0 C. to 130xc2x0 C., preferably from 40xc2x0 C. up to 120xc2x0 C., depending on the nature of the electron withdrawing group Y1. A low reaction temperature of about 40xc2x0 C. is typically when Y1 is NO2, a reaction temperature of about 120xc2x0 C. is typically when Y, is CN, CONH2, COOC2H5 or COCH3.
The reaction times may vary for example between 0.5 hours to 72 hours, preferably 0.5 hours to 36 hours, depending on the nature of the electron withdrawing group Y1. After the reaction is completed, water is added into the reaction mixture. In most cases, the product 4-morpholinylbenzene of formula I precipitates from the aqueous solution, and is collected by filtration.
The present invention discloses a process to prepare 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzoic acid, directly from the halobenzene derivative by a two step process as shown below. The product from the first step is directly hydrolyzed in the same reactor in the second step to obtain a high yield of the 4-(4-morpholinyl) benzoic acid. This is defined as a one-pot method. A basic hydrolysis is preferred in the second step, preferably with sodium hydroxide, but acid hydrolysis is possible. 
This object is achieved by the process of the present invention, which is characteterized in that the morpholine is used as a reactant and as the only one solvent. This advantageously avoids the use of catalyst and base over processes known in the art. Further advantageous is, that the process of the invention produces good yields under mild conditions, such as normal pressure. However, to work under pressure will also function.
Compounds of formula I, wherein Y is an electron-withdrawing group such as a nitrile, cyano, trifluormethyl, carboxylic ester, ketone or amide group, are useful intermediates. They are widely used as building blocks in the synthesis of new drugs. An efficient method for the preparation of these compounds is therefore very desirable and of commercial value.